


Five Words

by Flightless_Bird



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Desert Bluffs, F/M, Fluff, Implied Romance, Kevin remembers why he smiled, Nostalgia, Pre-Strex Desert Bluffs, Pre-Strex Kevin, Smiling God, Strex Takeover, Strexcorp, Strexpets are freakish, Vanessa was a good intern
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8566720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flightless_Bird/pseuds/Flightless_Bird
Summary: "If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember a note with five words on it."





	

**Author's Note:**

> A short little fic about Kevin and his memories. Actually quite sad :( But let me know if you liked it! It kind of has to do with the series The Day She Died, but only a little bit.

If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember a note with five words on it.

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember Josephine's cookies. How she'd frost them perfectly into little snowflakes and stars and bring them to the station during Christmas. He'd get a glimpse of their sparkling sugar frosting and the pretty package she wrapped them in, and he would smile. Always, always his memories made him smile.

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember Shawn. All of the Shawns, that is. The way that they would help him around the station and greet him cheerily when he came into work. Some of them helped him with his notes for the show and others cleaned or reported on events. Once, they'd all dressed like Kevin for Halloween and made a big show of reporting live on the broadcast as though everything was normal. Kevin remembered how they all snickered together between alternating voices, and he smiled.

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember Anne Baker. An elderly woman with hair like autumn and a smile like spring. She worked at the station too, overseeing the budget and planning events, that sort of thing. Until she was fired, of course. But never mind that. Before that, she would tell him what events needed reporting on, he'd groan like he didn't want to go, and she'd tease him. "Cheeky radio host," she called him. He pretended not to hear her. But he remembered how she'd laugh and tell him how she was "too old for this job and his jokes" and he'd smile.

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember Lauren. How she replaced Ms. Baker and overtook the budget and planning. She had a grin like a viper's and when she walked, her heels met the floor the way knives met skin. Often, she'd hide malice behind pretty lipstick and comment on the way they ran things. A clipboard was always in her hands. Often, she liked to barge in during Kevin's broadcasts to give a comment or two. He would then proceed to make barely-appropriate jokes about her on-air, in front of her, until she stormed out again. He remembered how he'd snigger at her retreating back and smiled.

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember Vanessa. New intern, eager eyes, bright smile, kind face. She went from intern, to friend, to partner in crime, to something words cannot describe, to something that words didn't want to describe. All in a matter of months. Kevin used to joke with her a lot, the two would plan pranks against the Shawns. They helped each other when one was sad and gave out Christmas cards with ridiculous pictures of themselves on the front (just to annoy Station Management.) Kevin remembered the night after the football game, with hot chocolate and soft words, and he smiled.

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember the day she died. He could remember the black-suited monsters that only looked like people bursting through the front doors. He could remember the Strexpets they so graciously gave, twisting, contorting into monstrous creatures that served a devil they called God. He could remember Lauren's voice, grating, mocking, humiliating.

  
He could remember her saying so sweetly into his ear, "I think your new intern wants to help decorate your recording booth, Kevin." He could remember Vanessa's voice breaking around his name. He could remember her screaming. He could remember her weeping. He could remember how they left with a promise to return and he held her as she left him. He could remember the note she'd hidden next to his headphones earlier that day.  
For an odd reason, his smile didn't feel quite so right when he remembered that.

  
-x-x-x-

  
If Kevin thought hard enough, he could remember a note with five words on it.

_Kevin,_

_I love you._

_-Vanessa_


End file.
